


Richard Rodgers (My Shot)

by Bravissima



Category: Hamilton - Fandom, Lin-Manuel Miranda - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 23:04:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7952713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bravissima/pseuds/Bravissima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is Maria's determination to meet her inspiration, Lin-Manuel Miranda, in order to fulfill a very special dream. Will she throw away her shot?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

My name is Maria Moreno. I'm 26 years old and I have just fulfilled a lifelong dream. I finished my studies on the most prestigious drama school in Spain. And I have just landed at the JFK airport to make an even greater dream come true. I'm moving to NYC, at least temporarily, to finish up my senior thesis and start auditioning. I fell in love with an apartment in Washington Heights. It had to be a sign that everything was gonna be alright. Because part of the whole ordeal was my intention to go to the Richard Rodgers to try and meet Lin Manuel Miranda. One of my favourite musicals was "Hamilton" and I had decided on translating his lyrics for my senior thesis. I loved the English language, and I loved it on its original form, but I could draft some translations on my own. But I also knew that in order to do it justice and not to murder how beautifully constructed it was in English, I needed his help, and the plan was to convince him to be my tutor and guide on the ardous task.So as soon as I could sort out my stuff, I made my way to 46th Street.

 

"Good Morning and welcome to The Richard Rodgers,how can I help you?"

"Hello, my name's Maria Moreno and I'm looking for Mr Miranda?"

"Mr Miranda is not available right now, did you schedule an appointment? Would you like to leave a message?, Miss Moreno we are not here for random impromptu Meet & Greets.....No! Stop! We'll call the police!"

The lady at the ticket office looked at me like I was stupid. I am not stupid.

"No and no! He's here, right? Please tell him I need to see him. It's very important!  
I rushed inside and opened the doors to "The room where it happens". A security guard followed me and grabbed my arms behind my back.I honestly felt like crying but I somehow managed to keep it together. Four heads turned to my direction from the stage, startled. Tommy, Lin, Andy and Alex took a step forward while I run down the rake. Tommy took the lead

"Who are you?"

"Who's this kid, what's she gonna do?"

Andy hid behind Alex.

"Haha! Very funny Blankenbuehler"

"Mr Miranda, Mr Lacamoire, Mr Kail, Mr Blankenbuehler. A pleasure to meet you. My name's Maria Moreno. May I please have a word with Mr Miranda?"

I saw him look up and gesture the security guard to let go of me, and his "cabinet partners" to leave us alone. He instinctively and instantly knew I was of no danger.

"To my dressing room. Follow me. Now"

I followed Lin through the narrow corridors backstage, to his tiny dressing room, walls covered in fan art and family pictures.

"You must be out of your goddamn mind! What the fuck are you doing?"

"I..I'm sorry....I"

I couldn't stand it anymore and burst into tears. Lin instantly regretted having screamed at me. He pulled me to his chest and his NYC t-shirt was soaked within seconds.

"Shhh...Here, drink some water, and please do explain before that neurotic of Kail calls the FBI"

"I am a theatre major from Spain. I need you. I need your help"

"Honey you don't know how many of you ask me that every day"

"No! My idea,...you'll like it"

"Okay, what is it? Shoot!"

"I want to translate "Hamilton" into Spanish for my senior thesis!"

"What? You're definitely out of your goddamn mind. Listen, I haven't dared to do it myself yet that should be sending you some signs"

"I know. But...Mr Miranda...together"

"Stop calling me Mr Miranda, it's freaking me out. You know damn well l'm Lin"

"I respect and love so much what you have done in English. I know it's difficult and I understand why. I am no poet. You are a poet. You understand and know how to make it work. I need you to make it sound as beautiful in Spanish as it does in English. Teach me how to do it. I have already drafted some straight up translations of the easiest songs, but they don't even rhyme yet. Be my guide and tutor through this journey and if we manage to make it to the finish line, let's bring it to Spain together. Help me slap the faces of those who said I wouldn't be able to do it"

I saw something click on Lin's black eyes.

"Okay let me see those drafts"

I made it.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been about a month since I met Lin and he agreed to let me work on translating his lyrics. That afternoon at the Richard Rodgers, he carefully studied what I had already done while I stared terrified at his focused face. He was really pleased with what I had done so far and his encouragement and enthusiasm seemed as genuine, honest and sincere as always. He loved that I had already tried to find the most accurate and fitting words I could, in order to be able to play with them later on on the process of turning everything into verse form. He asked me for an e-mail address where to send me translations of his own and exchange ideas about how to approach them. His mind worked so quickly that it got to a point where he even started sending me demos trying out lyrics on top of the music and encouraged me to send him trial runs back. It was such a fun and inspiring endeavour. It made me admire his talent and brains even more if possible. I had a great time and we were starting to get along really well even if it was just through e-mail. Nevertheless, we had decided that we would take it one step at a time, with no deadlines. We both knew how hard it was gonna be, as we wanted to get the most perfect finished product as possible. 

Funnily enough, he quickly realised I could be of help for him on a particular stance. He confessed that he knew his Spanish could be a little rusty sometimes, and influenced by Caribbean dialects. I told him I loved his Spanish and I saw no problem with it but he insisted he needed me to find a non denominational vocabulary and accent for the piece, so that we could bring it to all Spanish speaking countries. We exchanged e-mails pretty much on a daily basis for a couple of weeks both in Spanish and English, and I had a blast. 

 

By then I had started working at a deli, auditioning wasn't going that good, and so, my savings were starting to prove way too little to pay my way too overpriced Washington Heights apartment and to keep me nourished. At that point, the e-mailing came into a halt in a very unexpected and abrupt way. I was fiddling with some cream cheese and smoked salmon bagels when my phone beeped and what I saw left me basically speechless:  
Juu

" I AM BUSY. KEEP WORKING ON YOUR OWN. I WILL. LIN."

 

What the hell did that mean? Was he "firing me"? Was he bored of translating or maybe even overwhelmed by the task?. In any case, even though I was confused and somewhat strangely hurt, I decided not to give it too much of a thought and continue with my quiet life as sandwich maker at the dainty deli. The thought of going back to Spain did cross my mind for a split second. But I decided on giving the greatest city in the world a second chance, with or without Lin . 

 

One morning, about two weeks after he vanished, as I was making myself look busy fixing the coffee machine, I was lost in my own thoughts, trying to figure out how to fit Spanish words into the "Guns & Ships" tempo, when this voice made me jump giving me a hell of a scare.

 

"How come we are in Washington Heights and there's no tripletas on a deli? I want to see the manager!"

 

I turned around only to find a familiar face framed by a ponytail and a goatee, howling with laughter.

 

"For God's sake, Lin, you almost kill me!"

"Hi..."

His voice sounded as sweet and innocent as it does when he utters it on "Take a Break". The murder instincts were all suddenly gone and I found myself giggling in response. Oh, come on, Maria, keep your act together. I pushed away the thought to the back of my mind, I cleared my throat and changed my demeanour. 

 

"What are you doing here? I thought you were busy."

"I was busy. I was in L.A. for the past two weeks. It went really well"

"Cool. How did you find me?"

"I have no idea how I haven't seen you around before, I literally live like five blocks away from here. But I swear to God I just spotted you from the shop window. No stalking. Pinky promise. Have you been working?"

"Yes. You?"

"Oh for God's sake don't be bitter about it. Come on, let me buy you lunch and explain. You know I didn't mean to be rude.I'm sorry. Let's make peace. We have a lot to catch up on. And yes, there's some thing I need to discuss

"Oh please...really? I don't need your pity, Miranda"

"So that's the deal, uh? You're gonna call me by my surname when you're mad at me to piss me off? I'm taking none of it! What if Old Man Miranda wants to buy you some of the best pizza in town? I hope you're not creeped out, kiddo!...Please..."

Ok now he seemed genuinely hurt and he gave me the cutest sad puppy eyes I had ever seen. How could I stay mad at this man?.

He picked me up about an hour later at the deli, he went to run some more errands while I finished my shift. We did agree that someday he would cook me a proper tripleta, but today we would stick to pizza. On the way to the pizzeria he told me everything about his two weeks in Los Angeles. He had been auditioning and pitching ideas for movie musicals and songs to various studios. He was overall pleased with the response, and he confided me that the "Hamilton" movie was much closer to being materialised than I expected.


	3. Chapter 3

We somehow ended up all the way downtown. We found a small traditional pizza parlour. We sat down in a booth in a corner and ordered some pepperoni pizza.  
"The pizza is really awesome, thanks again, Lin"  
"You're welcome, honey,...I owed you one"  
I found my stomach doing strange sommersaults every time he called me "honey". Not to mention how flustered and blushed I became whenever he looked straight into my eyes. He looked at me paying attention to every word I said and if nothing else existed. This wasn't part of the plan. But my heart was refusing to let those feelings go and I wasn't fighting them back.  
"I really should apologize. I was an asshole and I know it"  
"You don't have to....I was a bother that came out of nowhere and you had to work"  
"No! Please don't think that of yourself...nothing further from reality. When you walked in,....yeah well, 'my heart went boom'! Hahahaha!"  
He rolled his eyes and I felt his olive skin blush and some droplets of sweat grace his forehead. Was I really making him nervous as well?  
"No but, for real.I saw how determined you were and I knew I had to give you a chance,...and I don't regret it in the slightest. We're doing fine, uh?....oh and also....I..."  
"I was just like you when I was younger?"  
"Ha! Yes, exactly! I did see something special in your..."  
"Thank you....you know it means the world to me coming from you..."  
"Maria,.....I want you to come with me ...to the Richard Rodgers....today"  
"What? What do you mean?"  
"I should have done this straight away. I didn't and now I feel really awful. I was really worried about L.A and I was in another headspace.I don't want you to go back to the deli. I want to hire you as an intern. Work with us. Learn from everything we throw at you, from being a dresser to help Pippa sew some buttons in her dress to, I don't know, how the micswork, the turntables,...Meet the company, see how the clockwork works, see the show eight times a week and maybe one day we can get you into a show, that would be the icing on the cake, right? We'll fix you a place to keep working close to my dressing room....please"  
"But,...I told you I dont need your pity"  
"Yes, Old Man Miranda knows that,...and you know it's not really like that. Please....say yes to this,..."  
He sang the last words with the naughtiest smirk on his face, which didn't really reach his eyes which had more of a pleading look to them"  
"Uhm...yes"  
He grinned when he noticed my not so subtle reference. We toasted to the agreement and finished lunch with the most delicious Tiramisu I had ever tasted. We continued chatting as if nothing had ever happened and ended up having a great time. He told me about Puerto Rico and his music, and I shared stories of my own and we got to get to know each other a little better.  
"It's still early to go to the theatre, come on, we have a train to catch"  
"What?"  
"Consider it an extension of this "please forgive me" present I'm giving you today"  
"Lin! You know you have done more than enough today already. Yeah. That would be enough."

I shot an eyeroll back at him. He laughed way too hard

"Where are you taking me?"  
"I'm about to change your life...."  
"Then by all means lead the way..."  
I saw him pull out a beanie and some sunglasses out of his backpack".  
"Lin? Where are we going. Seriously you're freaking me out."  
"Trust me, you'll like it, but I'm gonna need these pretty badly"  
Soon after we were standing in front of a small church in the midst of ginormous Wall Street skyscrapers. I totally knew where we were.  
"Come here..."  
He led me to the corner of the churchyard. Two tombstones stood out, sorrounded by tokens and flowers, most of them bearing the familiar logo of a star with Lin's silhlouette on the top.  
"Oh no..."  
I started sobbing uncontrollably. I felt Lin sorrounding my shoulders and giving me a kiss on the temple"  
"Shh...you had to meet Alex and Eliza, it's kind of a rite of passage!" See why I needed the disguise now?"  
I nodded and fell to my knees, to touch Eliza's name on the stone. Lin gave me some space.  
"I wish I had brought you something."  
"Here....from both of us..."  
Lin had found some wild daisies and we could at least offer them something. It would have killed me not to. I chuckled in between the tears

"Come on, you also gotta meet Angelica and Hercules. Save some tears for later, honey"

We said our goodbyes to our heroes and Lin led me to another mystery train. 

"Welcome to Brooklyn"  
We walked around the streets of the neighbourhood for a while and we landed in front of a beatiful colonial manor  
"And now...Welcome to the Graham Windham Foundation. The orphanage"  
"Oh my god....Lin,...thank you for,...also bringing me here."  
"You're more than welcome, Maria. Come on you gotta meet the girls who run it and the kids. We'll leave 'The little place in Harlem' for some other time"

They received me and Lin at the Foundation with open arms, filling us up on all the amazing work they do and introducing me to some of the kids. Lin did music and theatre workshops with them on a regular basis and they allowed us to play with some of them and do some songs. I felt Lin's eyes on me as I sang as much as I couldn't take my eyes off him when he interacted with the children. My heart pounded faster than ever. We sang some Phantom and Les Miz, he played for me and we even duetted and I was astonished about how good our voices sounded together. The best part of the time we spent there was when they accepted my offer of volunteering as Spanish teacher for some of the kids. I was delighted to be able to help on some capacity. On the train back to the Richard Rodgers I stared at Lin thinking about how to thank him for the best day of my New Yorker life so far. 


	4. Chapter 4

It is early in the morning on my last day at the Richard Rodgers. I basically opened the theatre myself. It is a two show day and pretty much everybody else is not here yet. But I was running of time to hand over my senior thesis and I was way too busy with the finishing touches to lose any time. My weeks of internship have given me access to many hidden secrets, so I was also able to turn the lighting on for the auditorium myself. I had become used to utilise the stage as a way more spacious office, whenever my tiny claustrophobic room backstage overwhelmed me. I could spread my papers all over the turntables and work way moe comfortably. So many things have happened over the past few weeks Everyone was so welcoming and Pippa and Jaz are now my best friends. l met so many celebrities!. Lin and I have grown closer than ever. We worked really hard on the translations, but we would often also be seen goofing around the Richard Rodgers, raising the evident suspicions on everybody else's minds and to everyone's amusement. My feelings for him grew by the second, and I cried myself to sleep every night knowing he might not feel the same. But that tension also had its downside and we would often get into the stupidest fights. I was soon painfully aware about how much of a match made in heaven we were when it came to our stubborness towards the work.   
I remember one particular night. "My Shot" was proving one of the hardest songs to translate and we got into a fight about what to do with the "spelling bit". Shouting, slamming doors, the whole lot. The whole company witnessed it astonished. I went for a walk to clear my head and when I came back, a beautiful bouquet of roses sat in my office. I opened the note:  
"I ran for roses to see you again. Forgive me. Your idea is better. Lin"

Inside the envelope there were also a couple of tickets to see Phantom that evening. My grin split my face in two. We went to see it with Jaz and Antony we had the best time. Lin wouldn't shut up and told me as many cool trivia facts about the show as he could. He walked me home, and after the obvious "This one's mine, Sir" joke, he kissed my forehead and left. As I watched him walk away to his apartment just a few blocks away from mine, I started daydreaming about him. Not just any dream. I knew had fallen in love with his talent and his larger than life heart first and foremost. l was also scared about him thinking I was trying to seduce him to go after his money, and that also kept me awake daily, even though it was never my intention to fall in love. But, tonight, it was all about how I knew he was no Brad Pitt, to me, he was like some sort of Mayan God from an old painting, and all I could think was how his hook nose might have felt against my cheek had he kissed me goodnight, how his lips would have felt against mine, how his long fingered pianist hands would feel as he touched me....Enough daydreaming for now, let me take you back to my improvised office on the wooden floor. I jumped startled because I felt the ring turntable moving. I looked to my right, and Lin was sliding towards me, in full opening number gear. I remember the first time I saw him face to face in costume. It was the sexiest thing I had seen in a long time. I was sorrounded by taller, hotter guys and I knew it, but I only had eyes for him.   
"Take a break"  
"I am on my way"  
"There's a little surprise before showtime and it cannot wait"  
"I'll be there in just a minute just you wait"  
"Maria!"  
"Ok!Ok!"  
The turntable came into a halt when Lin was in front of me. I would make Jason Bassett pay for that one later. Lin crouched down and started helping me sort out my papers.  
"Come on, bookworm, The Cabinet wants to talk to you"  
He led me to Lac's dressing room and the whole Cabinet stared at me terrifying me before Alex took the lead and adressed me.  
"Sing for us"  
"Oh no no no"  
""Helpless".To his face.I'll do Angelica"  
"You guys are nuts. Is this some kind of joke? Where's the camera?"  
"This is no joke, honey, come on, you can do this. I've told them what a beautiful singer you are"  
I did it. I ran through the whole thing with our eyes locked. It felt like the most difficult audition I had ever done but Lin staring at me with that calming, loving and adoring look gave me the strenght and confidence I needed to do it. For some reason I was even able to go through all the stage directions hidden in the lyrics, even looking away at the mention of Angelica during his rap, and I saw out of the corner of my eye how Tommy and Andy smiled in approval.   
They all clapped and cheered. I thought I was done, but Lac had more under his sleeve.  
"Beautiful. Ok, sweetie, now we're off for the difficult part. You have to switch straight into "Burn""  
I looked at Lin wide eyed and he just shrugged his shoulders. He would also pay for this later. I decided on just take a deep breath and think about all those times Lin made me ose my temper for whatever reason, and how pissed off I was when he vanished for two weeks. I did go a little bit too far into my character and there was crying and pushing involved, to everyone's amusement, but it all paid off.   
"Well done, Maria! Lin, you were so right, buddy, we found a star"  
"Ha! I found her! Y'all didn't wanna believe me!"  
"Maria, we're so glad you nailed it. Because you're doing it tonight"  
"I'm sorry, what?"  
"Pippa has some family commitment she cannot avoid. We've spoken to the understudies. No one else can do it tonight. Since you're leaving us soon, we thought we would give you a chance to have your Broadway debut on this stage that is so dear to your heart"   
"Lin,...is this your idea?"  
"I swear to God I had nothing to do with this"  
"We are giving you the day off as an intern, and you will be running through any details you may not have memorised yet, specially as the matinee takes place"  
"Are you ready for your first Ham4Ham show?"  
"Now, this is really Lin's idea"  
"What about that?"  
"We thought it would be cool to introduce you to the fans"  
"What would you like to do, honey?"  
I stared at Lin slightly panicked, and he gave me the most reassuring look ever, pushing away all fear. I still did stumble a little through my words.   
"Well...I think you're wearing the wrong costume. And the ponytail has to go"  
"What? What do you mean?"  
"I want to do 'Say No To This. In Spanish. With you. In costume. I want to wear that gorgeous dress once in my life. And you would have to dress accordingly. Jaz would be delighted to let me borrow it for a while. Antony can do Burr and Reynolds's parts in Spanish"  
"Did you have all this figured out all along? Done deal! Let's go grab Anthony and rehearse it a couple times"  
A few hours later I was listening to Lin introduce the show from behind the fire scape doors, deliriously happy on my massive deep red dress.   
"Hello hello hello! Guys! Turns out I have a secret weapon!"  
The crowd cheered louder than I ever heard them"  
"No Daveed Diggs today sorry guys! Yeah, you may have noticed there's a little bit of a second act puffy shirt situation going on and I have a pretty damn good explanation for it. I hope you guys like this special treat I have for you today. I'll let her tell it! She...has a very musical theatre name actually. Please welcome the beautiful and talented Maria Moreno!"  
I opened the door at the sound of his usual double banging. There was a screaming crowd but somehow Lin's firm grip on my hand, helping me not to trip on my dress, kept me calm and collected, and I had no stage fright whatsoever.  
"Doesn't she look gorgeous, guys?"  
The crowd erupted in cheering, it was deafening. Lin handed me a microphone.   
"Hi everybody! My name's Maria Moreno and I have been working with Lin on something really really special for the past few months and we're gonna exclusively debut it for you guys here today. Now, there's indeed a pretty darn good explanation for this, we're doing "Say No To This" with a twist to it. "  
Another loud cheer and I looked over at Lin, who hadn't let go off my hand and stared at me proudly, amused and in awe of how quickly I had the crowd on the palm of my hand.  
"As you can see, I am a terribe rhymer. And so, that's why this incredible man came in handy. I had the brilliant idea of trying to translate this guy's lyrics as my senior thesis for my theatre major. It proved really hard to reach Lin's level of poetry skills, so I had the "cojones" of moving from Spain to, yeah, you've guessed it, Washington Heights, and go after him and beg him to help me. I had to prove so many people wrong. And yes, as you probably know already he's the nicest man on earth so he said yes to this"  
"I mean. Who wouldn't?"  
He kissed my hand and allowed me to continue.  
"Just one more thing. Of course, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank him for everything he has done for me. He has been both a mentor and a friend all throughout this proccess. I am so grateful I made him wear the shirt so that I could wear this insane dress, my favourite from the show. And now, with no further ado, and with the help of this amazing company and Mr Antony Ramos as both James Reynolds and Burr, this is "No dije no"   
The performance was a blast, and the crowd erupted in fits of laughter as we made Antony separate us on the places Maria Reynolds and Hamilton kissed on the show. Lin took over the situation to say goodbye to the crowd.   
"Isn't she awesome? Give her a round of applause. Best of luck with the lotto, guys, because those of you who win today, are going to have the chance to see her be Eliza, for one night only, on her Broadway debut! Please give it up for Maria Moreno"  
We all dissappeared into the theatre with the biggest smiles in our faces.  
"Well done, honey! Oh my God that was awesome, Maria!"  
"You guys weren't too bad either!"  
We all went back to our dressing rooms, Lin had a matinee to do and I had to run through the show with rest of The Cabinet. I couldn't wait for that "Places" call!.


	5. Chapter 5

I got back to my dressing room after a quick costume fitting. I was gonna be wearing one of the understudies's dresses. I smiled at the sight of what was waiting for me on my vanity. There were more flowers, and a small rectangular box. I wept like a baby at the sight of what the box contained. We had crossed paths already in costume really quickly, on stage, I was on my way to the fitting and he had to do a photoshoot. He asked the photographer to take a picture of us as Alex and Eliza. He had made the photographer print it and had it framed somehow. There was a post it with a small note on Lin's wobbly left-handed handwriting: "Check the back". My heart exploded as soon as I realised what it was. The poem. He had written the poem that Alexander wrote to Eliza and she had hidden in a locket until her death. If that floored me I couldn't imagine what the note on the flowers might be. 

"My dearest, Maria 

We have seen such schemes succesful when the projector is constant. Yours truly. Siempre, Lin." 

That finished me off. "One stroke and you consume my waking days". I hate you Alexander Hamilton. I hate you Lin-Manuel Miranda. Lin had given me earlier a signed by the author copy of Ron Chernow's book, and I preserved there and on my Hamiltome the notes he sent me along with petals of the flowers drying. The note I sent him along with some more flowers and champagne felt like nothing in comparison,   but it was equally heartfelt. 

"I owed you a bottle of champagne. You still owe me a tripleta. Thank you for everything. Maria" 

I put myself together, checked my make up and ran to my place backstage next to Lin. I had a last minute check in front of a mirror backstage. I started freaking out because I didn't remember where the coat was. I still had a few minutes to figure that out so I calmed down. I spotted Lin approaching me quickly from my back. He gently placed his hands on my waist and kissed my cheek, whispering in my ear . 

"Break a leg, you look beautiful, it's gonna be awesome, don't be nervous, gotta run, love you, bye!" 

"Lin-Manuel! Wait!" 

I managed to grab his arm and he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked back at me frowning in confusion. But I knew he was pleasantly surprised. He smiled. 

"You've never called Lin-Manuel before" 

"I know. You changed the meaning and you intended it. That's what happened. Things have changed. For the better. Get used to it. Thank you for...everything....you know" 

I gestured towards the direction of the dressing room. 

"My pleasure, honey. Likewise". 

He winked, slid his arm off mine, took my hand and kissed it. He offered his arm. 

"Come on, my dearest, Eliza, we have to tell your story" 

I stood still, a few feet away from Lin, relaxing for a couple of minutes just before Leslie made his grand entrance. And then the penny dropped. It hadn't even registered at first. "Love you". Did he mean it like I wanted him to mean it or not?. I started hyperventilating. Stage fright taking over me. I saw out of the corner of my eye how Lin's focused profile became aware of movement to his left and he rushed towards me. "Don't forget from whence you came...". As quickly as he could he managed to get to where I was, kiss my cheek again and whisper "l meant it", passing by making it just on time for his line, leaving me gobsmacked and with very few seconds to process the information, relax, and not mess up with the coat and the chair. 

The first few numbers went by like a whirlwind. I remember dropping the "d" on my "Me, I loved him" and wondering whether anybody, including Lin, would notice. I watched Lin and the guys doing "My Shot" like the badass powerhouse hip hop boyband they were. During "Schuyler Sisters" I spotted Lin dancing like a lunatic on the wings, and it took all my willpower not to burst out laughing and break character and ruin everything. 

Just a few songs later, some quick glances, and smiles, the first of the many moments I dreaded arrived. "Helpless" started. I put my own spin on it. The lyrics made reference over and over again at how much she likes his eyes, yet Pippa barely looks at him on her stage directions. So I kept my eyes on him as much as I could without ruining some other choreography elements that really needed my attention. Tommy would kill me for not looking at the audience enough while doing the song but it was worth taking the risk, besides, Lin's stage direction was quite the opposite and he did look at me quite a lot anyway so it didn't make sense at all. During his rap I knew I had to act sad at the mention of his mother but I couldn't help but grin like a maniac at his last sentence or our cute little dance. I caught a glimpse of him during his victory dance and I somehow felt tonight he meant it more than ever. I pointed at him during the "That boy is mine part", which had the audience cracking up. 

The wedding part arrived and I took a deep breath while I walked down the aisle with Sidney. I waited for Lin to approach me from my right, and I tended him my hand. He slipped a ring on my finger. I quickly looked down. It was a replica of Eliza's wedding ring, two slim intertwinned yellow gold bands, thought to be designed by Alexander himself. I frowned confused. I didn't know an actual ring was going to be part of the deal. Lin gave me the slightest wink as we heard the last lines of the ensemble finish, and the cue to kiss played. My eyes traveled from his to his heart shaped lips. God was I dying to feel those lips on mine. God that felt good. We smashed our lips together for barely 5 seconds, but I knew how much this meant fot both of us. His grip on my hand tightened and he rubbed my ring as I rubbed his in a subtle gesture. He let go of me reluctantly and he Eskimo kissed me as the first lines of "Satisfied" played. We probably had the dumbest lovesick grins in our faces but who cared. He sorrounded my waist to lead me to our "Satisfied" position, otherwise we would have missed the cue. He mouthed "You can keep the ring" and kissed my cheek. I had the chance to steal two more kisses from him during that number and it was incredible. This time it was me who didn't wanna let go. And then, he pointed to my place on the wings when he said "If you love this woman go get her" 

I had to wait until "That would be enough" to share the stage with Lin again. I waited for him sitting on the bench, with my cute little fake belly on, while he freaked out at Washington. "If only this was real", I thought to myself. That was enough for me to find a place in my heart from which I could sing the song to him, and he would know I meant it. The first few lines would also remind us of how long had we been waiting to express what we felt to each other. I managed to sneak a little stroke to his cheek right before he kissed my hands. He looked into my eyes the entire time. Something else Tommy would make us pay for later. I came back to read the Laurens letter to him. I was still recovering from "Dear Theodosia". I somehow felt he was letting me know he felt the same about having a child with me in the future. 

The first act finished with me telling him off from the balcony. Some of my highest notes of that show were on that song so I just focused on him and it all went fine. 

During intermission I found myself running around backstage looking for him but he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't have that much time so I just let it be and went back to my dressing room to touch up the make up and the hair. I had an e-mail from him. 

"You were beautiful. We'll talk later. I promise. See you on second act. Wait for it. Siempre, Lin ❤" 

I typed an answer as quickly as I could. 

"You were amazing. See you on stage. I am not throwing away my shot. Here's my number. I don't know why on earth haven't we done this before. I cannot wait for later. Siempre, Maria ❤" 

My first intervention on the second act contained one of my favourite things on the whole show. I did enjoy the beatboxing but this was way more fun for me. I am referring to the screaming contest Renee and I had singing to the top of our ranges and straight into Lin's ears. I felt Lin hold my hand tighter than ever, and his eyes looking at mine with all the tenderness Alex felt for Eliza and more. It was his way of letting me know he liked what he heard. I used all the emotion he made me feel during "Hurricane" to get me through "Burn". 

During "It's Quiet Uptown", I leaned on his shoulder, letting him now I felt safe, strong and confident at his side and that no matter what, I was his, I would stay with him. I don't know how I managed to keep it together when he said "Best of wives and best of women" to me. 

I sang the finale thinking about all the amazing kids I met at Eliza's orphanage. I uttered the words "I can't wait to see you again" and thought about the possibility that Lin might not be able to come with me to Spain. But he had promised on the day we met. I thought about how emotional and devastated he look when he said "My love take your time, I'll see you on the other side" to me on the duel and hoped he didn't mean what I dreaded he was meaning. 

I couldn't stop smiling during final bows. Lin held my hand the entire time and couldn't stop grinning either. I felt him sourround my waist and I stiffened. No Lin. Not here. Not now. What are you crazy?. He just held me squeezing me and kissed my cheek repeatedly, he whispered a very happy "Well done!" and I returned the favor, tiptoeing to reach his cheek. We turned around to head backstage and he held my hand over his chest. His heart was pounding so fast. His other hand rested on my hip, keeping me close to his body. I sourrounded his body posessively with my other hand and we walked offstage with my head on his shoulder. The boy is mine now.


	6. Chapter 6

Lin and I parted ways heading to our respective dressing rooms. As I took off my make up and hair I dared to do something I hadn't dared to do before. I was trying to protect him, myself, our relationship and the work we were doing together. I gave myself permission to call him Lin-Manuel, and now I gave myself permission to tweet him. He didn't even know I had an account. 

"@MariaMorenoTheatreGirl Gracias for the best day ever, Maestro @Lin_Manuel"

Within a minute I had a retweet, he favourited my tweet, and he followed me. And he replied: 

"It is just the beginning. #WaitForIt"

I held back the tears as I heard a knock on my door. Please God let it be Lin. But it wasn't. It was Jaz. And she brought dresses, and make up, and shoes. I didn't remember saying anything about going out tonight. I couldn't go out tonight. I had to get to speak to Lin.  
"Girls night out!"  
"But...what? No I can't, sorry. Lin and I we....have to talk"  
"You're gonna put on this dress, you're gonna let your sister Jaz do your hair and make up and we're gonna party!"  
"But....Lin...I promised"  
I was literally speechless. How do I get out of this one? What the hell was going on?  
"Lin knows. He says you can call him when you're back in the Heights"  
I couldn't believe Lin was doing this to me, there had to be something else.  
"You are up to something"  
"No! Not at all! We're just gonna celebrate my homegirl Maria debuted as Eliza today! Listen, a buddy of mine at Oscar de la Renta chose this for you, and I brought you some Louboutins to go with it  
"Jaz...you didn't have to"  
"I know....But I owed you this little treat. Come on, just one drink and you can go back to the Heights and flaunt it to Lin. He'd die when he sees you on it.   
"Jaz!"  
"I am not blind, darling. Let's make you feel pretty for your....Bernardo?"  
She had brought a deep red cocktail dress, which had a beautiful flowery pattern made out of roses, and some matching stilettos which were in pristine condition. I clipped one of the roses from my bouquet in my massive chocolate brown curly hair, and they strangely matched colours pretty accurately. Jaz got me a matching manicure and lipstick. Some winged eyeliner to make my hazel eyes pop and I was ready to go.   
Jaz scorted me to a nearby club. My phone kept going off and I had to keep checking thinking it might be Lin. But it was just a bunch of ensemble members and fans following me on Twitter. What if Lin was actually shying away from speaking with me? I was truly starting to worry. Jaz noticed how silent and quiet I was on the cab ride and she cuddled me trying to cheer me up with little success.  
The doors of the club opened. I never in a million years expected what was awaiting me. The entire cast and crew began chanting "Happy Trails" to me. Oak and Morgan held the cue cards they used at the Ham4Hams as an inside joke. I spotted Lin standing on a table, pouting and with his hand on his heart asking silently for an apology. I shot him an accusatory look and he laughed. He approached me as the gang cheered to bid me farewell. Even though all I wanted was to tell him off for the mischief, I melted in his arms to his touch on my waist. Boy did he look good on that white shirt and black blazer.   
"Lin! Jaz! I want to kill both of you!"m  
He let go off me, took a couple of steps back, and took a bow in front me.   
"Would you give me the honor of indulging me with the first dance, milady?"  
"Un placer, milord"  
Dancing with Lin in front of everybody seemed like the best and the worst idea ever at the same time. All I wanted was to go back to the Heights with him and have him all for myself. Jaz had some good ideas there. "I need to know" by Marc Anthony started playing. Damn you Questlove. We slow danced to the song. The light scratch of his goatee on my cheek, the light touch of the tips of his hair brushing my fingers on his neck suddenly felt like the best feelings in the world.   
"How long did it take you to plan this?"  
"A while. Come back to the Heights with me. Tonight. To my place. Let me show you my world. Let's...talk. The champagne is in the fridge.I have my ways. And I can make you a mean tripleta"  
I just nodded frantically and he laughed. We both knew it was just an excuse.  
"I have never seen such excitement for a tripleta. But...later. I still have another surprise on my sleeve"  
He twirled me around and he continued speaking. I had the most confused look on my face when I landed back in his arms   
"You look so beautiful"  
"You clean up nicely as well, Lin-Manuel"  
"I did have a good eye for fashion, but having a gorgeous model helps a hell of a lot"  
"What do you mean?"  
"The dress, and the shoes. It's all part of the deal"  
"Lin! How? No...I can't..."  
"Shh...Oh....and I love the flower in your hair. I love your hair. I cannot wait to...."  
"Hey! Maria! Come have a shot out the Grammy!"   
Daveed, Anthony, and Oak, dragged me along, away from Lin's embrace. He watched me walk away. I did need the shot though.   
We lost sight of each other for a few minutes. I sat down on one of the sofas with my sister while having a drink and some snacks. And then I saw Lac and the Hamilton band prepping to take the stage, and Lin followed inmediately thereafter.   
"Hello hello hello! I'mma sing a little song for ya! Hit it Lac!"  
The whole company erupted in cheering. They would follow Lin to war.  
"The most beautiful sound I ever heard....Maria"  
"Maria" from West Side Story. He had learned to sing the freaking song for me. I was a crying mess the entire time while he kept his eyes on me. " At least I keep his eyes in my life". And then I felt someone hugging my shoulders from behind.   
"Pippa? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Boston"  
"I have been here sorting out the party while you were Eliza tonight. Heard it went really well. Wish I could have seen you"  
"But...."  
"Lin has been planning this behind your back. He has been rehearsing that song for weeks. It was driving him nuts. He asked me to step aside tonight so that you could do it with him before you left. He wanted to make it up to you. He feels awful because he doesn't know if or when is he gonna be able to go to Spain with you"  
I freaked out. He promised. He promised he'd help me set up the Spanish production of the show. He promised we would do it together on the day we met. I stormed out of the club. I didn't want to deal with Lin's cheerful presence anymore. He was distracted by his colleagues congratulating him. He'd be ok. He probably already signed to be the first Puerto Rican Tony. He noticed me at the door and he ran after me.  
"Maria! Wait! Where are you going?"  
"Home. Without you. I'm gonna go get my stuff and leave tonight. You don't wanna deal with this mess of a rookie apparently. Pippa told me. You're staying"  
"Oh God. Yes. I'm staying. I can't leave that easily and you know it"  
"Oh well, Mr Miranda The Movie Star didn't have any issues leaving me alone dealing with his translations when I needed him the most. You've done this to me before. And you would do it again. I can take it, Lin-Manuel Miranda"  
"For fuck's sake that trip was planned for weeks before I met you. Please don't be mad at me. Not tonight. Not right before you leave. Please come home with me. To the Heights. Let's talk. Let's figure things out.You owe me a bottle of champagne and I still owe you a tripleta. Please"  
I wish I was mad. He looked about to burst into tears. He tended his hand and I took it, still a little reluctantly.   
"Thank you, for the song, you did really well, Bernardo"  
"God it was driving me insane. I'm so glad you liked it"  
"Don't cry for me, Lin Miranda"  
He hailed a taxi and we heard the entire company cheer from the rooftop terrace of the club. They had been watching the whole scene. Lin and I laughed between the tears. The taxi rushed uptown towards 207th Street. He was right. It was just the beginning.


	7. Chapter 7

We held hands the entire way back to Washington Heights. I couldn't scrape the smile off my face. As I have told you before, ending up falling in love, and hoping to have a proper relationship with Lin-Manuel was the last thing on my mind when I landed in NYC three months ago. It is not that I didn't find him attractive beforehand, I always had this weird crush on him. It just wasn't on my bucket list. I watched Lin lost in his own thoughts looking at the NYC streets. He was in hysterics. I knew him so well already I could totally tell. If he ever was silent 15 minutes before a performance, instead of shouting around random songs in two languages to warm up his voice, there had to be something else in his mind that worried him that particular night. He looked back at me feeling my intense staring and kissed my hand. The cab left us a short walk away from his building. We walked hand inm hand, and it still didn't feel real. It started to sink in when he introduced me to Pedro, the bodega owner downstairs from his apartment. He said I was "mi novia"(my girlfriend) as we said our goodnights to the afable man in Spanish. I playfully elbowed him and he kissed my cheek, smashing his nose against my face. We hadn't even made it upstairs yet and he was calling me his novia. And now he was mi novio. I squealed internally.I followed him upstairs and he opened the door to his apartment for me.   
"Welcome to the Phantom's Lair. My world"  
"Oh, so you have a Raoul kidnapped somewhere and we're gonna do the trio? Maybe Groff? I mean....that's my favourite number on that show but...I'm not into that kinda thing, you know?"  
"Ha! Make yourself comfortable, honey, I'm gonna go get the food and the champagne. I will be in the kitchen. Just over there. You don't know how happy I am that you're here at last. It's been a long time coming"  
It is not that I was embarrassed of inviting him to my shack six blocks away, but the thought of being invited to his place seemed like a way more exciting prospect. I kicked off the stilettos and had a quick look around the living room area. Our jackets and my clutch were thrown casually on the couch. He had rolled up his sleeves and by the time we got to his street the ponytail had already been gone for half the taxi ride. He hated when it got messy because of the car seat. I saw him run a hand through his hair on the way to the kitchen. God was I dying to bury my fingers on that hair as we...  
"I'm going for the barefoot look. I hate it when I look taller than you"  
I heard him laugh from the kitchen. There were a bunch of thenatre posters on the walls, family pictures, New York and Puerto Rico pictures, Hamilton and Heights memorabilia, his awards, a beautiful piano and a massive record collection: cast albums, hip hop, latin music...A particular CD caught my eye. "In The Heights. Instrumentals" I don't know what took over me but I switched on the massive and expensive looking stereo system. I guess I just wanted to get it over with  
"Can I put some music?"  
"Sure!"  
The first piano notes of "Champagne" started playing, and the intro finished just in time for me to reach the kitchen. His face was hidden by the fridge door. He was kneeling down looking for the food. The champagne was already on a tray on the kitchen counter. I felt him go still as he heard the piano and my voice.   
"So I got you a present. I went Downtown to get it. Doing anything tonight?"  
And then I heard it. The faintest voice. My Usnavi.  
"Cleaning"  
"Done for the day"  
"No way"  
"Cuz we got a date"  
He emerged from the fridge with the sweetest cheeky smirk.   
"Ok!"  
"Before I board that plane. I owed a bottle of champagne"  
"No!"  
"Yeah, cold champagne"  
"Damn the bottle is all sweaty and everything. You went and got this!"  
"Pop the champagne! Usnavi?  
I could have called him Lin-Manuel but it fit awfully into the melody. I stuck with Usnavi. He didn't seem to mind at all. I had to go straight to the point I wanted to make so I had to make some edits to the song on the go. He got the idea quickly. He had started opening the champagne but stopped. He knew perfectly how to open the champagne. Usnavi didn't. But I was making him so nervous that it was actually pretty messy anyway. His hands were trembing and he fumbled with the bottle.   
"Yeah?"  
"Pippa told me what you did for me. And it's honestly the sweetest thing anyone did for me. What can I say or do to possibly repay you for your kindness?"  
"How do you get this gold shit off?"  
"Usnavi are you alright?"  
"I'm fine. I'm tryin'a open this champagne. See the twisty thing is broken but I'm gonna open this damn champagne!"  
"Yo! Usnavi drop the champagne!"  
"Smashcut! What are you trying to say?"  
"I'm leaving the country and I'm never gonna see you again!"  
"Maria I don't know why are you mad at me?"  
"I wish I was mad!"  
It wasn't even half as awkward at it was in the play. We were both dying to do it. He lifted me up and I ended up sitting on the kitchen counter, his body trapped between my legs. His arms rested each side of my body on the counter, my hands on his chest while we had a staring contest fot what we felt was an eternity. He was out of breath, was I that heavy? His lips were inches from mine. Would you just kiss me already?  
"Maria?"   
"¿Si?   
"What we did tonight, on stage, you know? I mean...that was awesome   
but.....That...doesn't count"  
I closed my eyes in realisation. No, of course it didn't count. This was the real thing. I nodded.  
"How do you say 'kiss me'?  
"Besame"  
His lips brushed against mine lightly at first, and the kissing grew hungrier and hungrier by the second. My hands traveled from his hair to his shirt and his kept me in place softly by the jawline. I had to let go to breathe. His mouth was covered in my red lipstick and I tried to clean it as we chuckled and beamed, giddy with happiness.  
"Am I too late?"  
"No, no mi amor. Te quiero. Te quiero Maria Moreno. Te quiero muchisimo"  
Mi amor. I smiled. He said it in Spanish. And he corrected the accent to do it in mine as I had taught him to. He didn't switch the final "R" for an "L". Did that mean he was already thinking of doing the show in Spain.? Maybe together? God would that be wonderful.   
"Te quiero. Te quiero Lin-Manuel Miranda. Te quiero muchisimo. Mi amor"  
He caressed my cheek. He reached for the bottle beside me. I continued speaking while he properly popped the champagme and poured us two glasses.  
"I don't want you to think all I came to New York for was to seduce you for your money as if I were Maria Reynolds or something like that. It's been bugging me for weeks. I came here with no expectations whatsoever....and look at where we are, look at what we've started"  
"No! No mi amor, como puedo pensar eso?"  
Why would I think that? I don't know. But I did.  
He offered me a glass of champagne. I started fidgeting with my Eliza ring and I sank it on my glass.  
"In Spain, drinking champagne with a gold ring on the glass, is good luck for lovers"  
He noticed he had forgotten to take off his Hamilton ring as well. Was it a sign? He mimicked my actions. We toasted and took a sip. God was that discount Moet Chandon good.   
"Speaking of that ring. I was serious. You can totally keep it. The wardrobe girls will totally kill me but who cares? I'm the boss.Accept it as a sign of my love"  
"Thank you"  
"I....There's a last surprise. It has to do with the ring. I know Pippa said you could keep her Eliza earrings, so now you gotta have the whole package. I want this to be your little touch when you make your dream come true and star in the Spanish production. I couldn't give it to you earlier otherwise you would have known it was all planned and it would have ruined the surprise. So I luckily could improvise the picture thing. Of which, by the way, I'm gonna keep a copy here, and another in my dressing room, maybe one in my wallet as well. Besides, you know that note wasn't referring just to the work we've done. I've had it in my pocket all night but I always had the hunch I was gonna be able to give it to you here, in privacy."  
He slipped something he had in his pocket in my hand. It felt cold, delicate and metallic. I opened my hand and started crying. The locket. He had made a replica of the locket for me. It had a beautiful engraving of a Rose on the front, and it read "Lin" on the back. I opened it. There was a picture of him as Alexander, and a sentence in Spanish. A lyric. One of our lyrics. "Mientras este vivo, Maria". As long as I'm alive. I allowed him to clasp it on me and answered.  
"Mientras este viva, Lin-Manuel"  
We kissed and he made me jump off the counter.   
"Stay"  
"Hey"  
We made out all the way to his bedroom, clothes flying everywhere.  
Passion. With just one "s" in my language. This is a word other cultures relate to us Latinos,and an stereotype of us dancing flamenco in bullfighter outfits with roses in our mouths. But that was exactly what I felt that night with Lin-Manuel. There was no better word to describe it. He was everything I expected and more: he was rough and wild but also tender and loving. I woke up on my own, wishing I would have more chances of waking up in his arms instead in the future, and to a rich smell of freshly brewed coffee, and music. A beautiful piano melody. It wasn't anything I had heard before. Something told me it was new. The first thing I noticed on his bedroom was a Phantom of The Opera poster. I couldn't help but make the joke. I found a Hunter College T-shirt and I threw it on. I started singing at the top of my lungs so that he could hear me.   
"I remember there was mist...."  
I heard him laugh. I joined him on the tiny piano stool. He was freshly showered and his long hair was wet. The rose was on the piano. I slipped his hair tie off his wrist and gathered my massive full head of curls into a messy bun. What's mine is yours.   
"Alexander come back to sleep..."  
"Last night, I couldn't sleep while I cuddled you in my arms, I don't know why. I started humming. It was as if I wanted to make up a lullaby for you. La nana de Maria. I had to get it out of my system, you know me. I had to get out of bed and leave you alone which killed me. I got my laptop and headphones and I know it sounds creepy but I've been up all night watching you sleep naked in my bed while I wrote it. It seems like you're my muse now."   
"It is beautiful"  
"Thank you. Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now"  
"I have to leave"  
"I know. I made you breakfast. Please stay for breakfast. That would be enough. Last night I couldn't even get to make you that goddamn tripleta. You must be starving. Last night took up a lot of energy"  
"Yes indeed...Lin?"   
I sat on his lap.  
"Do you remember the day you took me to see Phantom? How mad I got at you? I think I was just mad about you not at you! I think that was just sexual frustration! Oh god. I remember watching Jaz and Antony being all touchy feely and I wanted the same thing for us. I remember them not being able to get their hands off each other and how awkward it was. Don't get me wrong I had a great time but then, later, when you dropped me off to my apartment I wanted to invite you in so badly. I made the Maria Reynolds joke and I low key wished you would follow my lead. I don't know why I didn't. I think I felt it wasn't our moment. I didn't wanna rush it. When you kissed my forehead I understood you didn't and I had to let it go. I don't regret it now, though"  
"I felt the same way. I cried the entire way back here. And that was the first of many nights I've cried for you ever since. I started planning all this the following day. A whole day just for you. For us. I wanted to make you feel special. "  
" I felt special indeed. You cried for me that night?  
"Yes. And I don't think I ever stopped"  
"Buenos dias, mi amor"  
"Buenos dias, mi amor"  
The "good morning kiss" was short, sweet and meaningful. I joined him on the kitchen table. I had the best coffee I had ever tasted and he served me a bowl of something I had never seen in my life. But it looked yummy. What is it?  
"¿Que es esto?"  
"Natilla. Puerto Rican Breakfast. With parcha. Passion fruit. Which seemed appropiate. I told you I would show you my world"  
"Show me your Puerto Rico. Someday. I will show you my Spain....When you can come"  
"Of course I will show you my Puerto Rico. And I'd love you to show me your Spain"   
I didn't want to address the elephant in the room. But I had to. Using his words again  
"I know you're very busy. I know your work's important, but I'm crossing the ocean and I just cannot wait"  
"And you wont be an ocean away, you'd only be a moment away. I will join you in Spain. Soon. I keep my promises. Where do we go from here?"  
"Would you....take the day off and spend it with me?"  
"I actually already took it. No one is expecting me back there today. Judging by the standing ovation we got as we took the taxi they all understand.I can help you pick up your stuff and take you to the airport later"  
"Uhm, so you're already planning how to get rid off me?"

"No mi amor, of course not. We'll have fun. We will have loads....of fun"  
"How did you know you loved me?"  
"Wow, that's a loaded question....I remember the day we finished "Helpless". I asked you to sing it for me. I knew you meant it when you sang the words "there's nothing that your mind can't do" looking straight into my eyes. I knew you felt the same way I had been feeling ever since we met. You were beautiful, a great singer and extremely intelligent. When I had to stop talking to you for two weeks when I was in L.A. it pained me to no end to know I was hurting you. I promised myself that I wouldn't that to you again. That's why I asked you to come to the Richard Rodgers. That's why I took you to see Alex and Eliza that day, and to the orphanage. To show you that I cared about you. For real. And it pains me to no end to know that I have to do it to you again. And then I sang that rap and that was the first time I sang it just for you. And it has been that way ever since on the show. Te quiero, Maria. What about you?"  
"I...saw you have lunch with Pippa and Jaz on the turntables. I was cleaning the stalls. No disrespect to my sisters, but it was like being Cinderella watching the Evil Stepsisters trying to win over Prince Charming. I knew I Ioved your eyes and your smile, but also your brains and your heart. It sounds childish but I got extremely jealous. I knew then and there you had me smitten. And yes, the day you came back from L.A. I was really pissed off but it was as if I had seen an angel. Te quiero, Lin-Manuel"  
"Promise me we will be in touch every single day from now on. Several times a day. No matter the hour. On any media we can get our hands on. Till we meet again"  
"I promise!"  
"Cool. Now let's make love again. Just the once ain't enough to make up for what's to come"  
Needless to say that we spent the entire morning making love. We finally managed to make those godamn infamous tripletas. We ate piraguas on the way to Central Park and we lunched on them, along with the rest of the champagne. We cuddled on the grass. I had to wear his t-shirt and his jeans with my stilettos.  
"You were great last night. I'm proud of you. I cried like a baby when you did "Burn"  
"You were great too. I cried like a baby when you did "Hurricane" That's why I nailed it"  
"What happened last night...on stage....with you....I never felt it with any other Eliza. Not even Pippa. There was magic in the air. It was all I needed to reassure me something else I had been plotting in my head this whole time. Whenever I'm able to go to Spain with you, what we're gonna do is convince whoever we have to convince for us to be the leads on that production. I want to do it with you. In Madrid. In our language. First and foremost. You know I'm acting on this thing because I wrote it. Just as I did with Usnavi. You wrote this translation thing with me and it was all your idea in the first place. It's only fair. And second of all. And I don't want you to take this the wrong way. Producers are kinda gonna like we're a couple. We can throw them some hints on social media. What we did last night was off for a good start. But we must shut up for a while otherwise tabloids will make our life a nightmare. Not yet. I want you all for myself for now"  
"Lin....I am thrilled you want to do the show with me but this whole other idea..."  
Doing the show in Spain with him was a dream come true, but all this idea of sharing it with the world I wasn't so sure about. I also wanted him all for myself for now. Maybe that tweet was a mistake. I know Lin felt the panic in my eyes.   
"Trust me on this one. It's gonna be fine. You know I will protect you with my life like I know you were trying to protect me by not tweeting me till last night. Whatever happens. I thank you for that. Maria, I know I can trust you ever since you soaked my t-shirt in tears the day we met"  
I saw the determination and affection in his eyes and I gave up and nodded. Of course I trusted him. Later that day, we couldn't stop kissing while standing in the middle of JFK airport. I didn't really know how to say goodbye. I asked him.  
"Teach me how to say goodbye"  
"My love, take your time, I'll see you on the other side"  
"I cannot wait to see you again. It is only a matter of time"  
I cried the whole flight back home. I noticed I had kept his clothes, even the hairtie. And he had my dress.I clutched my ring and my locket the entire time. I had made him record the song he wrote for me on my phone and I listened to it on repeat, along with some final words of love and encouragement in verse he wrote for me. I really coudn't wait to see him again. It was only a matter of time.


	8. Chapter 8

Lin and I have been away from each other for about three months. He told me just a few days after Ieft that some critics and producers had approached him wondering about the mysterious one-off Eliza (and Maria) that had appeared out of nowhere with that otherworldly chemistry with the show's mastermind. He was asked to bring me back as an "official" Eliza, and he had to brush off the requests with "wait for it" comments. We texted, phoned, Skyped, and e-mailed each other as much as the time difference and our busy schedules allowed us to. I missed him badly, and I know he missed me too, we told each other every day. I woke up every morning to his "Good Morning Voicemails" which always told me about how the show had gone that evening, and wished me a good day at the drama school, I would tell him about my day on my "Good Night Voicemail" as well. Today, after much consideration, instead of my usually discrete text because it was 3AM in New York, I tweeted him. I was fine the night before, we were texting each other songs that reminded us of each other such as "Maria" by Carlos Santana or "Gypsy" by Shakira. I shot back "Mi Chico Latino" by Geri Halliwell, and I jokingly accused him of "being a bastard orphan son of a whore" because the worst song in the history of music made me cry in a mall.  
But the morning after, on my way to the drama school, I had a little bit of a nervous breakdown. The day of my final workshop presentation of the translations was dangerously getting closer and closer, and I tweeted him "Wishing you were somehow here again". I was ok with most of my cast, in fact I could see myself and Lin asking them to join us on the road to the actual Madrid production. My main problem was the dude I had been sort of forced to cast as my Alexander Hamilton. He lacked the charisma and stage presence needed for the role to begin with, but most importantly, he sucked as a rapper. And it was too late to replace him, and he was the principal's son. Don't get me wrong, he was a good singer, he would have been a beautiful Marius or Raoul, but definitely not Alexander, you get the idea. Just as it happened last time, he favourited, and retweeted instantly. But he didn't reply anything, instead, my phone rang  
"Hola mi amor, what's up, there must be some life or death situation, you tweeted me!"  
"It kinda is,....but it's late up there...what are you doing awake?"  
"It's ok, I'm writing. Can't sleep"  
"I can't do this....I can't do this without you"  
"Yes you can. It's gonna be fine"  
"No, it won't be fine. He can't rap. He gets tongue twisted mid "My Shot" every single time. I'm screwed"  
"Honey, I wish I could at least send you someone, but Anthony or Javi cannot learn the whole thing this quickly"  
"It's alright, I'll survive. Gracias, mi amor. Go to sleep, you have a show today. Te quiero"  
"Te quiero, Buenos dias"  
A couple of days later, I showed up at the workshop in full Eliza gear, with a baby blue dress, my Eliza jewellery and my red stilettos, which didn't really match but it all made me feel Lin was with me. The presentation would begin with my cast performing a simplified version of the opening number, in which Alexander was the only character waiting off stage for his entrance. I did have a pretty damn good Aaron Burr, who introduced Alexander with all the pomposity the moment needed. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, waiting for the worst. And then I heard that voice to my right. And it wasn't Bruno's. It was Lin's. I opened my eyes and he winked and grinned as he delivered his line.  
"Alexander Hamilton, me llamo Alexander Hamilton"  
He fooled me, he told me was gonna be "busy with stuff" and that was why he wouldn't speak to me that much for the next couple of days. He did send me a "break a leg" text a couple of hours earlier but that was about it. And as much as I needed him to talk to me in the end he was somewhere in a plane or an airport, my knight in shining armour coming to the rescue of his damsel in distress.  
My Schuyler sisters were bawling, The Cabinet jumped up and down giddy with excitement, and I was a flood of tears in a split second. I spotted Bruno, who gestured me "It's alright" from backstage. The professors in the audience couldn't believe their eyes, in fact they hardly believed what happened in NYC when I told them, I obviously skipped the juicy parts. I threw myself in his arms, he kissed my temple and nudged me to continue the song. When we were finished I hugged him again and my entire cast took it as a cue to join us in a massive group hug. Everybody wanted a piece of Lin today, and to be honest,I couldn't blame them.  
"Bienvenido, Sr Miranda"  
"Gracias, I am...with your kind permission,..staying for the rest of the show and helping my....pupil fullfil her dream"  
"You're staying?"  
"Yes! I'm staying!"  
"But....you haven't chopped it off....and I missed your last show"  
"Why would I chop it off? I am still gonna be Alexander with you. I promised. Oh and....you were with me on my last show, look...I also got my good luck charm. This has been in my pocket for the last three months"  
His left hand dropped something on mine. He was wearing his Hamilton ring. It was the cork of the champagne, and he had it covered with a piece of lining of my red dress.  
Later that day, after I finished the workshop and the principal announced I had graduated with honours, Lin and I could make our way to my beloved apartment in Madrid's old town, to celebrate in private and make up for lost time. His luggage was in a hotel close to the school, we picked it up and decided to walk to my home, taking advantage of Lin's anonimity there to kiss on each and every corner on the way. We took a selfie with my diploma and posted it in our Twitter profiles, it was our way of hinting a little more at our relationship, which, we had decided, would confirm on opening night, so no kissing selfies for the time being.  
"Welcome to Christine's dressing room. My world"  
"Show me your room. Let me show you how much I've missed you"  
"Not so fast, Latin Lover. Come here, I have a surprise for you"  
I took him by the hand and led him to a corner of my living room. Something that looked like a long narrow table was disguised by an old sheet and I made him reveal it.  
"A piano!? You bought me a piano?"  
"I did! I...wanted you to feel like you were home here with me. I know you would have done the same for me in the Heights. I want to hear your music fill my ears every day. Siempre. I knew you wouldn't be able to bring along one of these"  
I remember the overwhelming feeling of happiness I felt that following motning, as I woke up to Lin's face beside mine in my bed, half concealed by his messy hair, limbs intertwinned, trapping me in bed, snoring softly while he slept soundly in complete bliss and content. I couldn't wait for the next chapter of our narrative, where he decided to stay. 


	9. Chapter 9

Lin and I have been living together in Madrid for a couple of months now. We loved our quiet existence in the Spanish capital. We spent the mornings rushing to the theatre after our long breakfasts in bed. Our company was already in really good shape. We we both also functionally working as directors and producers, as we were the ones who knew how the Broadway production worked and could serve as intermediates with the original crew in New York. Lac, Tommy and Andy paid a visit, and made some quick masterclasses to prep their Spanish equivalents, which were sprinkled with surprise appearances of our original cast, to our new company's delight. Evenings and weekends were for us. We would hang out yyyat home making love and music, go have romantic dinners around Madrid, or even take weekend trips to my favourite places in Spain. We found the fun and romanticism in both ways of spending times together, waking up wrapped in each other's arms in some lost cottage, or just hanging out at home watching movies with a hot mug of coffee. My favourite moments were on Sundays, which were usually spent walking the lengths of Madrid, helping my boyfriend learn more about my city, as I was sure he would do whenever we could be back in Manhattan or Puerto Rico. The fans loved the hilarious selfies we took as I showed Lin some traditions and our food. I loved showing him my world. The "relationship teasing" was going pretty damn fine. Our families and company knew, and the fans kinda suspected it but they were still pretty oblivious.   
Today, we were visiting "El Rastro", which is the largest flea market in town. We had a look around hand in hand, and then I took him to my favourite antique jewellery store. I loved every single piece on that counter. And then my eyes lit up. That ring. I took it carefully in my hands. It was all baby blue stones making a flower pattern. Like Eliza's dress. Lin slipped it on my finger. It looked like a wedding set beside my thin gold bands. The man behind the counter explained the ring's story and we couldn't believe what we were hearing.   
"It belonged to Isabel Escolar. She was a prominent high class lady, who later became a really smart bussinesswoman. In the early 19th Century she moved with her husband, a former politician and military man, to Puerto Rico, where she owned a sugar cane plantation"  
Lin and I shared a knowing look. I said out loud what we both were thinking.   
"You gotta be kidding me"  
"How much is it?"  
"96000 euros"  
"You gotta be kidding me"  
"We're keeping it"  
"Lin. No. Its too much"  
"Nonsense. You know how much I believe in these kinds of signs. It's your ring. I'm buying it and we're finding a priest or whoever is qualified to marry us right now and you can't tell me otherwise"  
"What?No!"  
"You don't want to marry me?"  
"What? Lin...I...please"  
"Listen. It's gonna sound like I'm quoting Hamilton but I don't care. I have so much work to do back in the States that I've left behind for you, to be your partner and your lover. I want to marry you ever since I met you. I would even qualify to become a Spanish citizen for you, come on, I can't waste my time like this. I'm leaving and I will come back when you've made up your mind about us"  
"But...Lin..The show"  
"Is that all you care about? Having me around so that your stupid Spanish company can work? Maria, I have waaaay more lucrative stuff to do back in New York. Call me when you care about us instead"  
I watched him walk away to a taxi. I was completely speechless. Was he really that mad at me because I couldn't marry him on the spot? I came back home and cried on the piano stool while a VIP employee from the airport showed up to pick up his stuff. The following morning I had to drop the news to my company. To say they were all devastated was a huge understatement. But they were all supportive and respected our privacy as they had all been doing till then.   
A few weeks later, it is the morning of the opening show, and I had to ask Bruno, the understudy, to be ready to perform that night with me. Lin and I didn't talk all. What I knew about him was through his vague tweets about his whereabouts. The fans started to smell something was up, as neither of us had clearly been the same on social media since, but no one dared to get truly noisy about it.   
I chose a baby blue tunic dress for the red carpet. I was about 16 weeks pregnant with our twins and it had started to show a little. Nobody knew. I didn't want anyone to know yet, as they wouldn't have allowed me to do the show that night. I posed with my fellow company members and the Broadway friends who came to see us. Nobody said anything about Lin which was suspicious on its own. It was such a pity he would miss this because of our issues. I was in the middle of our group picture, when this really loud voice rushed towards us and the crowd went mad.   
"Hang on! I gotta be next to my leading lady on that picture! Make room guys!"  
What the heck was he doing here? He looked extremely dapper on his tuxedo, my lord. Once he had reached a place beside me, he took me by the waist and I prayed he wouldn't touch my belly. He couldn't know yet or he would be the first one who wouldn't allow me to do the show. And now he was back here with me I wanted to do it more than ever. I knew when and how to tell him. He kissed me and the photographers went nuts  
"What the heck I gotta do...to be with you?"  
"Lin....I"  
"Shhh. Its ok. I understand. I'm sorry. Te quiero"  
"I was a pain in the ass. A massive pain"  
"Me too. Are we good?"   
"Yes. We're better than ever!" We made it!"  
"You made it. I'm so proud of you mi amor!"  
We did some more posing and even tweeted together about our reunion.I may have not been ready to say yes to Lin's proposal at the time, but now, with the babies on the way, I definitely was. Things had changed again. I knew we hadn't been together for that long but I knew I we loved each other and our children.   
I gave Lin my Eliza ring before the show, knowing I would have it back by the end of "Rendida". He approached me with a playful smirk, and slipped it on my finger. I quickly look down because the ring felt different, heavier. I had to do a double take. He had brought me the ring from the flea market. I stared at him gobsmacked and he kissed me. I had to wait till the end of "Satisfecha" for a little bit of an explanation, as Lin smashed his lips on mine and quickly cornered me against a nook on the wings.   
"I love you so much. Need to talk to you. Wait for it"  
Right after his short bit, which some people thought he accelerated quite a bit, he joined me again and spoke as quickly as he could. Going down on one knee  
"Listen. I am so sorry about what happened, it was too soon and too rushed and now I know. You were right at the time. But I cannot stand it anymore, we're meant to be together and we both know it. Te quiero mucho. Mucho. No fancy poem, rhyme, rap or song today, I will have the rest of my life to write you thousands of those. Marry me. Casate conmigo"  
There was no way I was saying no this time around. He was gonna be mi marido and the father of my children. The people around us cheered and later I found out some people tweeted our Aaron Burr seemed a little distracted by some disruption backstage.   
Later on, my dresser was a little confused when I asked her not to put my fake belly on me. As we began "Eso bastará", Lin placed his hands gently on my belly, only to quickly remove them, looking up a little more confused than usual. I made him touch me again and the babies kicked, feeling their dad's hands. I gave him a slight nod and he couldn't help but smile. We spent the entire intermission making out. He was thrilled to learn there were two babies coming. We tweeted a picture of our hands with the rings over my belly and we basically broke the internet. We were going to be a family  
I was waiting for "Para ya" when I started to feel a little dizzy and queasy, which was weird I had been OK till then and that's why I decided on performing that night. We got to the part where me and our Angelica belted out those crazy runs and the uneasyness increased. I tightened my hold on Lin's arm and he locked eyes with me, concerned. My knees turned into jelly and everything went pitch black. I was told later that Lin caused quite a scene, carrying me bridal style, in costume, to the nearest hospital, in the midst of one of Madrid's busiest avenues. I woke up in a hospital bed, Lin beside me, a worried sick expression in his face, frilly shirt still on.   
"I wanted to sing "It's Quiet Uptown" to you tonight. I will at some point I guess. But for now, it looks like the understudies are gonna get their chance. We're going back to NYC, and you're gonna rest and I'm gonna truly take a break and take care of you till these two show up. I am so happy, but I really do think that's what we should do"  
I didn't argue. I knew I would need the rest, the babies had given me the heads up and I was aware that it was no joke. We packed our things and moved back the following day.


	10. Epilogue

Every day has the potential to be the best day of your life. I repeated that every day as had I breakfast, and I have definitely had so many of those ever since I met my husband Lin-Manuel. Today, as I opened my eyes in a hospital bed, I felt like this one had topped all the previous ones. Lin was leaning on Eliza's crib, staring lovingly as his baby daughter as she cooed to him, while Alexander slept peacefully in his father's arms. That's right. Our children were named Alexander and Eliza Miranda Moreno, following the Spanish custom. I made a mashup, and became Maria Miranda-Moreno. I thought it had a better ring to it with his surname before mine, and that way I could also have a hyphen in my name. Later that day, right before I was released from hospital, Lin asked me to chop it off. Annie Leibovitz would take some family pictures of us in the Heights to release on various media, and he wanted to reveal it on our social media as a way to announce he wouldn't be Alexander anymore any time soon, choosing to stay with me and the babies as he figured out his next move. I wasn't going to perform any time soon either, so I understood his reasoning and supported him even though I was sad to see it go and I was bawling as I did it. We already had some projects anyway such as a In The Heights revival and a West Side Story movie.   
We had gotten married a few weeks earlier. We chose "The little place in Harlem", the Hamilton Grange. Paul Tazewell designed a beautiful baby blue empire waist dress wirh cap sleeves for me. It had some baby blue and baby pink roses embroidered right above my already massive baby bump. Lin's suit had some details such as his pocket square and his tie in the blue of his uniform. It was a beautiful day filled with family, friends love and laughter, musicals, hip hop, pLatin music, Spanish and Puerto Rican food, and of course, our cast and crew, from both companies, many of whom served as bridesmaids and groomsmen.   
We moved to a bigger house in the Heights, and soon after, we parted to our honeymoon to Puerto Rico with our babies, in fact, our first family vacation. We had already decided we would split our time as much as we could in between Spain, Puerto Rico and New York, as our children would primarily learn Spanish with us. I relaxed on my hammock in the Caribbean, our babies in their little playmat. Lin was devouring another biography and pitching song ideas to me by the second page. I still didn't really understand his mind. I felt something nibbling my ankle and I stood up startled, thinking it might have been some bug. Lin lost his shit laughing and the babies followed suit as they always did even though they didn't really know what their father was laughing at. It was this teeny tiny adorable stray dog puppy. I fell in love. Lin couldn't say no to me on that one and we took it home. We named her Tobillo. Our family was complete. I didn't throw away my shot.


End file.
